Transcript Chapter 13 Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood

Chapter 13
Physical and Cognitive
Development in Early
Adulthood
Physical Development
 Throughout childhood and
adolescence, the body grows
larger and stronger
 Once body structures reach
maximum capacity and
efficiency, biological aging
begins.
 The functioning of the body
organs begin to decline
 Factors including a person’s
genetic makeup, lifestyle, living
environment, and historical
period influence biological aging
 Improved nutrition, medical
treatment, sanitation and safety
adds 25 to 30 years to average
life expectancy in industrialized
nations
Aging at the level of DNA and Body Cells
 People whose parents had long
lives tend to live longer
themselves
 A genetic programing theory
proposes the existence of aging
genes that control certain
biological changes such as
menopause, gray hair, and
deterioration of body cells
 There is a special type of DNA
called telomeres which is located
at the ends of chromosomes and
serves as a cap to protect the
ends from destruction
 The telomeres become short
 As a result the cells no longer
duplicate at all
Aging at the level of DNA and Body Cells
 Another alternative is the
“random events” theory.
 This theory suggests that DNA in
body cells are gradually
damaged through spontaneous
or externally caused mutations.
 Another cause of age related
DNA and cellular abnormalities
is the release of free radicals
 These are naturally occurring
highly reactive chemicals that
form in the presence of oxygen
Aging at the Level of Tissues and Organs
 Cross linkage theory of agingAccording to this theory, protein
fibers that make up the body’s
connective tissue form bonds or links,
with one another
 When this happens, tissues become
less elastic leading to many negative
outcomes including loss of flexibility
in the skin and other organs, clouding
of the lens of the eye, clogging of
arteries, and damage to the kidneys.
 Cross linking can be reduced by
exercising regularly and having a
healthy diet.
 Another route to aging is the gradual
failure of the endocrine system. The
endocrine systems produces and
regulates hormones
 Because hormones affect many body
functions, disruptions in the
endocrine system can have wide
effects on health and survival
 For example, a gradual drop in
growth hormone is associated with
loss of muscle and bone mass,
addition of body fat, thinning of the
skin, and a decline in cardiovascular
functioning
Cardiovascular and Respiratory
Changes
 Heart attacks and hypertension or
high blood pressure occurs 12 percent
more often in U.S. black populations
than in white populations
 The heart’s ability to meet the body’s
oxygen requirements does not change
during adulthood
 Only during stressful exercise does
heart performance decline with age
 Atherosclerosis is one of the serious
diseases of the cardiovascular system
 This disease involves heavy deposits
of plaque containing cholesterol and
fats collecting on the walls of the main
arteries
 Heart disease has decreased
considerably since the middle of the
twentieth century due to a decline in
cigarette smoking, to improved diet
and exercise among at-risk individuals,
and to better medical detection and
treatment of high blood pressure and
cholesterol.
Cardiovascular and Respiratory
Changes
Lung capacity decreases
during physical exertion
The maximum vital
capacity declines after
the age of 25
Connective tissue in the
lungs, chest muscles, and
ribs stiffens with age,
making it more difficult
for the lungs to expand
to full conditions.
Motor Performance
in Adulthood
• Athletic skills
• peak from the early
twenties to early thirties
• decline gradually until sixties or
seventies,
then more rapidly
• Continued training
• slows loss
• retains vital capacity,
muscle
Immune System
 There are two types of white
blood cells
 The T cells which originate in the
bone marrow and mature in the
thymus gland located in the upper
part of the chest
 The B cells-These cells are
manufactured in the bone marrow
and secrete antibodies into the
blood stream
 Stress weakens
immune system
Reproductive Capacity
• Increase in delayed childbearing
• Fertility risks for women:
• problems jump sharply at 35–
44 years
• reduced number, quality of ova
• Fertility risks for men:
• problems gradual, starting
age 35
• decreased sperm volume,
motility
• increased percentage
abnormal sperm
Variations in Health
 U.S. early adulthood death
rates exceed other
industrialized nations
 This may be due to a
combination of factors
including higher rates of
poverty and extreme obesity,
more lenient gun control
policies and lack of universal
health insurance in the United
States
SES variations in health reflect
these influences.
Income, education, and
occupational status show strong
relationships with almost every
disease and health indicator
SES largely accounts for the
sizable health advantage of whites
over ethnic minority adults in the
United States
Leading Causes of Death
in Early Adulthood
Causes of Overweight
and Obesity
• Heredity
• Ethnicity
• Declining physical activity
• Increase in calorie, sugar, and
fat intake
over last four decades
• Basal metabolic rate declines
with age
Consequences of Obesity
 Health problems:
 heart disease
 diabetes
 various forms of cancer
 early death
 Social discrimination:
 finding mates
 housing
 education, careers
 Mistreatment
Treating Obesity
• Lifestyle changes:
• diet
• exercise
• Record-keeping:
• food intake
• body weight
• Social support
• Problem-solving skills
• Extended intervention
Dietary Fat
• Saturated fat from meat and dairy
• plays a role in breast and colon cancer and in heart
disease
• should account for 7% or less of daily calories
• Replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat from fish,
vegetables
• Total fat should account for
30% or less of daily calories
Exercise
• Over half of Americans are inactive:
• more women than men are inactive
• Inactivity is greater among low SES adults who live in
less safe neighborhoods, have more health problems,
experience less social support for exercising regularly,
and feel less personal control over their health
• Recommendations:
• 30 minutes per day of moderately intense physical
exercise
• increased intensity offers greater health protection
Benefits of Exercise
 Exercise is linked to reduced incidence of several
types of cancer
 Physically active people are also less likely to
develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease
 Physical activity reduces anxiety and depression
and improves mood, alertness and energy
• Reduces fat, builds muscle
• Boosts immune system, resistance to
disease
• Longer life
Substance Use
in Early Adulthood
 U.S. 19-25 year olds are more
likely than younger or older
individuals to smoke cigarettes,
chew tobacco, use marijuana
and take stimulants to enhance
cognitive or physical
performance.
 up to 12% of men and 6% of
women ages 19–25 are
substance abusers
Cigarette Smoking
 More men than women smoke cigarettes
 The ingredients of cigarette smoke (nicotine, carbon monoxide and other
chemicals) may damage blood vessels which may lead to:
 painful vascular disease,
 skin abnormalities, including premature aging, hair loss, decline in bone mass,
uterine abnormalities, earlier menopause in women and reduced sperm count.
 In addition, there might be an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, acute
leukemia, melanoma, and cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus,
lungs, stomach, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder
 Hard to quit: most treatment programs do not use effective strategies
Alcohol Abuse
in Early Adulthood
• 10% of men, 3% of women
are heavy drinkers
• About one-third of heavy
drinkers are alcoholics
• Causes mental, physical
problems
• High costs to society
• Treatment is difficult: half
relapse in a few months
Heterosexual Attitudes
and Behavior
• Most people have intercourse by age 25
• 70% had only one partner in past year
• People engage in sex less frequent than media
suggest:
• only one-third twice a week or more
• more often in twenties, declines with age
• Most satisfied with their sex lives; only a minority report
sexual problems
Homosexual Attitudes
and Behavior
• Public acceptance is growing
• The majority of Americans support civil liberties and
equal job opportunities for gay men, lesbians, and
bisexuals
• Estimated 3.5% of U.S. population are homosexual or
bisexual
• Sexual behavior similar to that of heterosexuals
• Tend to live in larger cities, college towns
Factors Related to
Sexual Coercion
Perpetrator Characteristics
Cultural Forces
 Manipulative, remorseless
 Men taught to be dominant,
 Approve of violence against
women
competitive
 Women taught to be submissive
 Acceptance of violence
 Dulled sensitivity due to media,
pornography
 Accept rape myths
 Misinterpret social cues
 Childhood sexual abuse
 Sexual promiscuity
 Alcoholism
Sexual Coercion
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Physical injury
STDs
General ill health
Rape: 18 percent of U.S. women
Perpetrators’ personal characteristics and
cultural forces are predictive
 Immediate: shock, confusion, withdrawal
 Long-term: fatigue, depression, substance
abuse, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts
Preventing and Treating
Rape and Abuse
 There is the need for routing screening of
victimization during health care visits in
order to protect victims from future
harm
 There is the need for validation of the
experience- this can be done by
acknowledging that many others have
been physically and sexually assaulted by
intimate partners and that such assaults
lead to a wide range of persisting
symptoms. This should not be tolerated
 There is the need for safety planning
Psychological Stress
 Related to
 Associated with
social conditions
 overweight and
obesity
traumatic experiences,
life events
 diabetes
daily hassles
 cardiovascular
problems
 Caused or worsened by
 decreased immunity
low SES
Cognitive Changes in
Early Adulthood
 Piaget emphasized postformal
thought- This refers to cognitive
development beyond Piaget’s
formal operational stage
 Perry’s Theory focused on
Epistemic Cognition-Epistemic
cognition refers to our reflection
on how we arrived at facts, beliefs,
and ideas
 Labouvie-Vief’s theory focused on
pragmatic thought
 Pragmatic thought involves logic
becoming a tool for solving real
world problems
 Labouvie-Vief found that people
gained in cognitive affective
complexity- this means that people
become aware of conflicting
positive and negative feelings and
this leads to the coordination of
them into complex, organized
structure
Expertise and Creativity
 Expertise: This is the acquisition of extensive knowledge in a field
 Specialization in college and in an occupation leads to expertise
which is necessary for both problem solving and creativity
 Although creativity tends to rise in early adulthood, its
development varies across disciplines and individuals
The College Experience
 Many people view the college years as
formative
 College serves as a developmental testing
ground, a time for devoting full attention to
exploring alternative values, roles, and
behaviors.
 To facilitate this exploration, college exposes
students to a form of “culture shock”
 Students encounter with new ideas and
beliefs, new freedoms and opportunities,
and new academic and social demands
Dropping Out of College
 44% of students in the United States at two-year
schools drop out
 32% of students in the United States at four-year
schools drop out
 Drop out rates are higher in colleges with less
selective admission requirement
 Ethnic minority students from low income families
are at an increased risk of dropping out
 First year students who have trouble adapting
because of lack of motivation, poor study skills,
financial pressures, or emotional dependence on
parents develop negative attitudes towards the
college environment
Periods of
Vocational Development
 Young people move through several periods of
vocational development
 The fantasy period-In early and middle
childhood, children gain insight into career
options by fantasizing about them
 The tentative period- between ages 11 and 16,
adolescents think about careers in more
complex ways, at first in terms of their interests
and later on they become aware of personal
and educational requirements for different
vocations.
 The realistic period- by the late teens and early
twenties, young people start to narrow their
options
Factors Influencing
Vocational Choice (362-364)
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Personality
Family influences:
Teachers
Gender stereotypes:
Vocational Preparation of
Non-College Bound Young Adults
• U.S. high school graduates poorly prepared for
skilled occupations
• Lack vocational placement, counseling services
• Work–study apprenticeships can help